Ironman Australia Set For April 1

Karen Doane previews Port MacQuarie's Panthers Ironman Australia

It's a picture perfect setting here in Port MacQuarie as 1605 triathletes prepare for this year's Panthers Ironman Australia Triathlon. A fantastic field of pros and Hawaii hopefuls compliment the 473 first-timers set to test themselves on this very technical course as the race begins Sunday, April 1 at 6:30 am in Australia.

A classic battle of old versus new has emerged for the top men as Australia's Jason Shortis and Craig Alexander battle for the win. Shortis, a 12-time finisher at Ironman Australia, is hoping 13 will be his lucky number. With a handful of second-place finishes here and an Australian record of 8:03:57 at Ironman Western Australia in December, Shortis seems fit and confident this will be his year to win. Alexander is looking to make one his lucky number as he makes his Ironman debut on Sunday.

Alexander, the current 70.3 world champion, decided to make the transition to a full Ironman distance event several months ago. Despite his lack of Ironman experience, Alexander has been brilliant in his decade old career and says he feels confident about his preparation and chances on Sunday. A runner up finish at the ITU Long Course Championships in November gives credence to his ability to go the extra miles.

There are several other pro men who will also mix it up and perhaps upset the one-two Aussie finish, with Patrick Vernay of New Caledonia, Markus Strini of Austria and Mathias Hecht of Switzerland looking to make this year’s race a win on their resume.

For the women, it will be history in the making, as Canada’s Lisa Bentley and Australia’s Belinda Granger once again battle for the front spot.

Bentley is racing for an unprecedented sixth consecutive win in Australia, a feat never before accomplished on an Ironman course, anywhere. Looking fit and focused after her finish in Hawaii last October, Bentley’s legendary run prowess will certainly make for an exciting finish, but not without a serious challenge from Granger throughout the day.

While never beating Bentley in Australia, Granger has renewed confidence after defeating Bentley at Ironman Canada last August. Granger has just returned from Thailand and some “insane training mileage” in her eighth attempt at a victory here. This very technical bike course has Granger feeling more confident to win than ever before.

There are a few other Aussie women who will certainly mix it up in the front as well. Jo Bennett, Rebekah Keat and Joanne King are laying low for press conferences but training smart out on the course. There is no doubt an exciting race will play out this Sunday.

We’ll have lots of Panthers Ironman Australia pre-race and race day updates as we go live on Friday.